Frozen Solid
by AvatarHufflepuff
Summary: Requested by popular demand, my one shots will continue! Series of one shots and drabbles for Frozen, prompted by you! All pairings, all characters, and obviously spoilers. Rating will stay at K for now.
1. Sick

**Note**: So you all asked and asked and here I am writing more fics (yes I know I still owe you al one more fic from the November collection and I swear it's coming but for now take this as compensation). Send me one word prompts (along with an specific pairing or character you might want to see, I won't really limit it to one word) and I'll get to them as I can. This first one was basically an entire paragraph prompt: Anna gets sick and while Elsa is taking care of her she spills her heart out thanks to a fever.

Sick

Anna was always prone to sickness. She was reckless enough to touch things without wondering where they'd been, she went exploring in damp and dusty places, she got cuts without bothering the properly clean them. But this was different. Influenza swept through the kingdom thanks to wayward rats from a trading vessel. And after about a week, it penetrated the castle walls.

"Your Majesty," Kai called between knocks on her door in the dark.

It was late at night, or perhaps early in the morning. Elsa squinted in the dark and rubbed her forehead.

"What in the…?"

She struggled in tangles of bedsheets and blankets, kicking at them, irritated. She put on her dressing gown, bumped her elbow into a chair, and cursed under her breath. She walked over to the door and opened to find Kai, in a dressing gown himself, standing in the hallway looking tired and distraught.

"It's the princess, Majesty."

Elsa was suddenly very awake out of the door before Kai finished. She strode down the hall quickly with Kai calling after her. She heard "sickness", "sweating", "coughing" and walked faster and faster until she reached Anna's room.

She threw the door open to see the physician leaning over Anna's bed, and the small lump under the covers shaking violently with coughs. And Elsa could feel her face going pale.

"It's the influenza," the physician whispered to Elsa, gathering his things, and exiting the room.

Elsa immediately entered and sat on the edge of the bed looking down at Anna. She gently brushed her stray hair, matted down, from her damp forehead.

"It is contagious, Majesty," the physician said, "I would advise against you—"

"I'll take my chances," she cut him off. She waved off the rest of the room and the staff cleared out

"How do you feel?" Elsa asked.

"Awful," Anna groaned.

"I wish there was some way I could help you," Elsa said, stroking more hair from Anna's head.

"Stay here with me?" she asked but then popped up, "But no! You'll get sick too, you'll—" a fit of coughs cut her off and all Elsa could do was rub Anna's back while she doubled over, coughing away.

"Don't worry about me," Elsa said, tucking covers up to Anna's chin when she finally lay back down.

Elsa had never been sick in her life. And in that moment she would trade places with Anna in a heartbeat to relieve her sister of the pain she was in. She shivered and coughed and sweated. She was pale and dark circles hovered below her eyes.

Elsa pulled a chair over and sat next to the bed. She dabbed at Anna's forehead with a cloth to clear away the perspiration. She occasionally passed her water when she asked. Anna eventually dropped off to sleep and Elsa watched over her. For the longest time, all there was to hear was the sound of Anna's breathing, labored as it may be.

But, after an hour or so, Anna began to stir again.

"Do…you want…to build a…snowman?"

"What?"

Anna's eyes fluttered open and focused on Elsa, even through half lids.

"The door…" she said. It was all slurred and quiet.

"What about the door?"

"You never answered, you were inside, but you never answered," Anna said. "Why didn't you answer?"

"Anna…you know why," Elsa said. She was feverish, she was possibly half asleep. Elsa shouldn't try to reason with her but all the same.

"I spent hours…." she trailed of breathlessly.

Elsa didn't need to hear the end of the sentence. She already knew. She'd been there, she'd heard. She heard every single knock, she heard every word Anna said, she heard every sob, she heard every foot stomping. And she heard how it would go on for hours, until someone called Anna for a meal or lessons. She'd wait all night if Kai and Gerda hadn't forced her into bed. Well, that was all before she gave up knocking.

"I wanted to hate you," Anna whispered. For once that night she sounded aware, she was looking right at Elsa now, "I tried to be so angry at you…but…I remembered the…the snowman…"

"Anna," Elsa sighed, taking a damp rag to her forehead, "You've got a fever, just rest."

"You love me."

Elsa paused and raised an eyebrow. Anna was looking right at her, accusing her. Elsa lowered the rag and leaned closer.

"What?"

"That's why the door was closed. Olaf…" she trailed off again and Elsa brushed more wet hair away.

"Olaf?"

"He told me…he said…love is putting…is putting someone else's needs before your own," she forced out, "That's why…the door was always closed."

Elsa felt her lip quiver and tried to control it. It was like she was eight all over again. She blinked out a few tears as Anna blinked owlishly, never removing her eyes from her sister. Never in her life did Elsa reconsider the decision to keep Anna oblivious to her sister's powers. She never thought about caving in and telling her to lighten the burden. Let Anna hate her, let Anna look at her with contempt as long as it kept her a safe distance away.

"I understand," Anna said.

Elsa sighed and turned her ahead away from Anna so her sister would not see her cry. She felt a very warm hand on her shaking back. Her own tears were warm too. She shouldn't be doing this, Anna was sick, very sick, and she was wasting the night crying. And Elsa was afraid to admit that the more years she spent behind that door, the less it had become about protecting Anna and the more it became about protecting herself. But perhaps Anna guessed that too.

"I forgive you."

Elsa turned back to Anna at that and the warm hand on her back slid down limp and Anna was coughing again. She rubbed her head and groaned and threw herself back onto the pillow. The sheets formed a damp halo around her body and it was clear the cold water wasn't about to calm the fever.

"Do you trust me Anna?" Elsa asked.

"Of course."

Elsa sucked in air. She had to become completely calm. She had to think only of Anna's smiling, happy face or it wouldn't work. She gently placed both her hands on Anna's shoulders and released her breath. With a shiver from Anna, the magic entered her body and Elsa repeated one thought in her head: please help her.

She willed the magic to cool her down, to kill the intruder in her body, to make her better.

"As soon as your better," Elsa said, "We're gonna build a snowman, you and me. In the ballroom like we used to."

"When did we do that?" Anna asked.

"You wouldn't remember."

The rest of the night was calmer. Anna's coughs calmed, her fever broke, she finally drifted off into a real sleep without waking. At some point Elsa herself must of fell off asleep because she woke up to find her head on Anna's lap, her hand holding her sister's, even in sleep.

Elsa's eyes fluttered open to see Anna, sitting up, looking at her. The color in her face was far better than it had been in the night. The sweat in her hair was long dried. She smiled watching her sister waking up.

"I don't think I've ever seen you sleep so late," Anna said.

"I didn't intend to fall asleep," Elsa said groggily. She lifted her head and blinked a few times. Anna reached forward to pat down a rebellious strand of Elsa's hair.

"I know what you did you know," Anna said, eyeing her.

"I have no idea what you mean," Elsa said, standing up and stretching.

"The physician is going to ask how I made some a miraculous recovery," Anna said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, still a bit weak.

"The answer is rest," Elsa said, coming over and taking Anna's arm to steady her.

If Anna remembered what she said to Elsa, she never let on. The two padded down to the kitchens together, arm in arm, laughing and talking, never mind their bedhead and nightclothes. They sat at the dinning room table and ate porridge. They started sliding sugar cubes across the table when Elsa turned the surface to ice, and they played I spy.

And after an hour or so, Elsa stood and offered Anna her hand.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"


	2. Birthday

**Note**: I got multiple "birthday" prompts. I'm doing this one for now, I may do the other prompts for other characters. And Julaften is the Norwegian term of Christmas Eve.

The queen went into labor late on Julaften. The king and queen had attended a Christmas choir that night in town. The cantus was beautiful and uplifting through their performance, so much so the baby started kicking quite a bit much to the amusement of the soon-to-be parents. However halfway through the performance the queen lurched forward and a wetness crept down her legs. The king placed his arms around her immediately.

"The baby," she whispered to her husband. She groaned as quietly as she could when the first contraction hit. A few people in neighboring boxes looked over in concern.

"Fetch a physician and our carriage," the king hissed to Kai.

"Yes, Majesty."

The queen stood with the help of her husband, nearly all her weight was leaning into his arms as they gingerly walked from the box. She breathed tight and shallow through her mouth, extremely rhythmically, stepping into the hallway and letting out a more vocal groan.

"The baby is a bit earlier than expected," the king said. "We'll have a little prince or princess to tuck into bed tonight," he smiled, gently stroking his wife's cheek.

Through her pained face she smiled back, gently holding her stomach. Another contraction hit as the choir picked up.

_Veiled in flesh the godhead see, hail the incarnate deity…_

"They're singing just for the baby," the king said. The queen closed her eyes and focused on the song

_Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king…_

"A Christmas baby perhaps," the queen said.

"Double the presents then," the king laughed.

"If the baby decides to be born in a timely fashion then they can have as many presents as they want," the queen said.

Kai was trotting down the carpeted hall with several ushers in tow as well as royal guards and, finally, the physician. He all but shoved the king out of the way, never mind his rank. He helped the queen sit down on a nearby chair. The men turned their backs while he examined her.

"Majesty," he said, looking at her seriously, "You need to start pushing."

"What?" she practically shrieked.

The king came rushing back over at her cry.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Her Majesty needs to start pushing," he said, removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. "It's time."

"But we need to get her back to the castle, the infirmary—"

"No, this baby wants out now," the physician insisted.

"It's just as well, Majesty," Kai said, "There's a blizzard raging outside, it came out of nowhere. We'd never get back in time."

"Well that seems my luck," the queen groaned, "It's clear all day and the second I need to leave quickly a blizzard rolls in."

The physician was already getting to work, he instructed her to breath, to get ready to push again as he counted. She squeezed the king's hand while the guards sent all nearby people away.

_Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining_

_It is the night of the dear savior's birth…_

"Get me warm water and rags," the physician called and a few ushers rushed off. "Push Your Majesty."

_Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices_

_Oh night divine…_

"That was good, Majesty," the physician said. The first usher was back with rags and the physician quickly took to utilizing them. "I'm afraid the theatre will have to replace their carpets," he tried to lighten the mood, "Breath, Majesty, in and out through your nose, yes good. Ready? And push!"

_Oh raise, raise a song on high, his mother sings a lullaby…_

"Push harder! The baby is crowning"

_The babe the son of Mary…_

"We're close now, Majesty."

The physician counted down and told her to push again. And she let out an exhausted and weakened yell and pushed as hard as she could. The king's knuckles were turning white and his fingers were numb but he didn't flinch as she gave all her might into the final push, praying this would be it.

"A healthy little princess!" the physician shouted. And be pulled into few from under the queen's skirts a small, screaming baby, sleek with fluid waving her limbs around.

And the king heard the most beautiful sound in the world, his daughter's cry. He laughed and the queen sighed into his arms. The baby was fair skinned with wisps of near-silver blonde hair on her head. She was red faced from screaming, but so beautiful. The chord was cut and the baby was wrapped in one of the only clean towels left.

"Here you are," the physician said, handing the baby girl to her mother.

_Come and behold him, born the king of angels_

_Oh come let us adore him, oh come let us adore him…_

The girl stopped crying in her mother's arms. Her face, patched with red from fussing, calmed immediately. Her eyes were a shocking blue, her few tufts of extremely fair hair looked almost invisible against her skin.

"Hello little one," the queen cooed and the king brushed the baby's cheek.

"Happy birthday my dear," he whispered. He kissed his wife's temple and continued to pet and smile at his daughter.

"The blizzard has stopped, Majesty," Kai said, smiling, despite himself, at the small child cradled in the queen's arms.

"Just my luck," the queen smiled, tapping her daughter's nose.

"What an odd weather pattern," the king said.

"All is calm outside, Majesty. We're free to leave for castle, permitting," he nodded to the queen.

The queen handed her daughter to her husband while she cleaned up as best she could. He bounced and hummed to her the hymns from the concert, still going on in the hall, unaware their princess and future queen had just been born right outside the doors.

"Don't worry," the king said, "Kai's not as grumpy as he looks. But he will make sure you're in bed on time, young lady."

Kai smiled over at the small bundle, now sleeping in her father's arms. The king offered his daughter to the butler, who protested, but nonetheless ended up with the small princess in his arms. She cooed a bit in her sleep in the large man's arms.

"Oh don't even start, Your Highness. You get desert only after you finish dinner," he mumbled to the baby, laughing. The king smiled.

"Have we a name for the princess?" the physician asked, boxing up his things.

The king looked as his wife who nodded.

"Elsa," he said. He gently took her back from Kai and brushed the few strands of hair from her tiny forehead.

"Elsa, Princess of Arendelle, time of birth 11:53 December 24th. She cut it quite close to Christmas Day," the physician laughed, coming over to look at the baby. "She's healthy as can be. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"You hear that," the king whispered to his daughter, "You're absolutely perfect."

The baby hummed in her sleep, her eyes going haywire beneath her lids, dreaming up a storm.

They eventually shuffled outside and into a winter wonderland. The snow and the haze of the passed storm lit the night air in a dim glow. There was no wind and the kingdom was beautiful through the mist as few snowflakes fell lightly from the sky.

_Silent night, holy night_

_All is calm, all is bright…_

The clock tower in town chimed for midnight. A few cheers were heard from the town square and choruses of "Happy Christmas!" and clinking of tankards went across the air

"Merry Christmas, my darling," the queen whispered to her daughter. Above them, the North Star twinkled brightly, the only one shining in the cloudy sky. It shined on the baby, it shined for the baby.

_Round yon virgin mother and child_

_Holy infant so tender and mild _

_Sleep in heavenly peace_

_Sleep in heavenly peace…_


	3. Sister

**Note:** Like before, I've gotten multiple "sister" prompts. I did this one because the request to do it about Kristoff and Elsa intrigued me. I'll probably do at least one for Elsa and Anna but I'll have to change the prompt word so there's no repeat. The prompt did mention Elsa viewing Kristoff as a "little brother" but the movie novelization makes it clear Kristoff and Elsa are the same age.

Kristoff never had siblings, well maybe he did, but he never knew them. Sven was close but their relationship was nothing like what he imagined siblings to be like, especially after he saw Elsa and Anna together. The way they teased each other, the way they looked out for each other, the way they could argue, the way they seemed able to communicate entire sentences to each other with only facial gestures was something he never had, even if he could speak for Sven.

But then again, that was until he met Elsa.

He had been completely intimated by her in the beginning. Not only could she create entire structures of ice with a few waves of her hand, set an entire country in an unending winter with a footstep, but she was, if he was being completely a one-hundred percent honest, strikingly beautiful. And even if he loved Anna he had to admit, being forced into talking to Elsa was difficult at first.

"So what exactly does an ice harvester do?" Elsa asked one day while Anna was at lessons and Kristoff was wandering the castle, bored.

He jumped when she spoke, clearly having quietly walked up behind him.

"Uh…harvests…ice," he said. Stupid. He needed to impress this woman, she held the power of yes or no over his future with Anna.

"You know, I think I did gleam that much myself," she smiled.

Kristoff smiled, so she did have a sense of humor after all. That was a little disarming.

"I mean I bring ice to the kingdom. People use it to store their food, cool down their homes…that was until you froze everything. My supply and demand took a hit, still working on fixing that," he said sheepishly.

She cringed.

"Yes I apologize for that," she said.

"So wait, you made ,e the 'Official Ice Master and Deliverer'—whatever that is—without even knowing what I actually do?" he said.

"I had to give you some sort of title if you were going to be hanging around the castle as much as I anticipated would happen after Anna…explained some things to me," Elsa shrugged.

"Oh."

Then it got quiet. That was never good, a stall in conversation between people who weren't really friends. Elsa remained poised, hands clasped in front of her, but Kristoff was jittering nervously. Say something, say something, anything.

"So uh…you like ice?"

Was he serious right now? Did that just come out of his mouth? Great going Bjorgman, you actually just said that to the Queen of Arendelle. Not just your girlfriend's older sister, the _queen_.

"I'm fond of it, yes."

Is there anything this woman said that didn't sound like it had been prepared and rehearsed? Even when the dumbest thing possible came from his mouth she found a way to respond in the most graceful way. He appreciated that she hadn't laughed at him though.

"Do you make art at all with ice Kristoff? Sculptures or something?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head, "I'm not really…artistic."

She looked away thinking for a minute.

"Well then."

Then she took his hand and led him down the hall. His first thought was how cold her hand felt, the second thought was pure panic.

"Elsa, I don't—"

"Shush."

She lead him outside to the courtyard and to the ice skating rink. She waved her hands and conjured up a few blocks of ice before them, near perfect rectangles. A few people were skating in the courtyard and gave them a greeting as they skated past. Elsa then disappeared for a few moments only to reappear with some chisels she got from God knows where.

They spent the afternoon actually laughing and smiling as Elsa tried to help Kristoff make some sort of artwork worthy of appreciation. Some snowballs got thrown. Elsa of course showed him up with a few twirls of her hand.

From that point on, their relationship became far more relaxed. They developed inside jokes, they played games, they argued, and then came the moment when Kristoff learned what it meant to look out for a sibling.

The man was drunk, that was clear to everyone.

"I wouldn't mind getting a peak at the queen's ice palace if you know what I mean," the man slurred at Kristoff. He felt his blood pressure rise so quick he must have had steam come out of his ears.

"You talk about her like that again and I will personally rearrange your face," Kristoff said, yanking the man by his collar.

"Alright, alright, jeez, who are you, her brother?"

Kristoff tossed the man away from him, roughly, earning a few head turns from others at the party.

"I'm the guy who'll knock you out if you keep it up," he warned.

Later that night Anna and Elsa both chastised him for the scene, even when he explained to them what happened. As she walked away Kristoff could see the smallest smile and a look of gratitude on Elsa's face.

She truly became his sister the day he married Anna and he became her brother. They never acknowledged it out loud but they official status of siblinghood did not go unnoticed by either party. The bickered more, they teased more, Kristoff talked to her about Anna, about when he messed up and she wouldn't talk to him for a day and Elsa helped him fix it.

"You are honestly still awful at this," Elsa said, pretending to admire his newest attempt at an ice sculpture.

He bumped his shoulder into hers.

"We can't all be the Snow Queen."

"And here I was just thinking how marvelous you'd look in my gown and crown," she said. He rolled his eyes and she laughed.

He got more protective of her too. The day of her own wedding he pulled her fiancée aside and looked him dead in the eye.

"I'm obligated to make sure you're aware," he said, "that if you ever, _ever_ make her cry I will punch you right in your pretty boy face, prince-consort or not."

The man took the warning graciously.

Ultimately, Kristoff decided having a sister was worth the wait and worth the trouble. Though Elsa didn't openly acknowledge the same amount of true familial feelings that Kristoff did for her, he knew she was also not one for showy moves of emotion. Her years of closed bedroom door were evidence of that. She showed it in small ways, smiles, throwaway comments, making time for him. He knew deep down she liked having a brother just as much as he liked having a sister.


	4. Can't

**Note**: This prompt was another one with a qualifier on the one word: "can't" where we see Elsa can't back after she gets into a fight with Anna and tries to make a peace offering. I'm backlogged on prompts so I'm doing my best to get to them all.

There were few things in the world Elsa couldn't do. On her lists of "can't" including things like tripping, or word vomiting, or insulting people while her list of "can" was a mile long. However, Anna learned a very hard way that there was more thing that could be added to the list of can't do.

"I don't know why you're acting this way," Anna said angrily, marching to her room with the queen hot behind her.

"Because you are an unmarried young woman and he is an unmarried young man and you're lucky it was me who walked in on that little show and not someone else, I'll remind you the French ambassador is staying the castle this week," Elsa said.

"I'm not sure Kristoff was so lucky it was you who walked in," Anna said sharply.

"His arm will thaw."

They hadn't been doing anything ridiculously inappropriate. But walking into the third floor parlor to see her sister practically getting her face eaten off by the ice harvester while both their pairs of hands were settled a little to close to certain regions of the body had set Elsa off.

"I don't know why you have to treat me like I'm twelve, you're not my mother," Anna said, getting close into Elsa's face.

"I'm your queen. My word is law and right now my word is no," Elsa said, looking down her nose at her sister who was on her tiptoes.

"Are you jealous that I'm giving attention to someone who isn't you? How does it feel having someone completely ignore your existence?"

Anna was skirting dangerous territory and it was clear by the way her voice shook that she knew it. But she kept her glare trained right into her sister's pale blue eyes. Elsa didn't respond immediately, she sighed, shook her head, and never broke eye contact with Anna.

"Alright," Elsa said, "Try this one on for size: get in your room. You leave before I say you can and you stay in there for a month and then you can really understand how it feels to be on the other end of ignoring some else's existence. We'll see how well you fair on the other side of the door."

Anna looked ready to strangle her but she didn't move an inch. She was just getting ready to form words when Elsa turned on her heel.

"You are the absolute worst Elsa! The actual worst, you're acting like a—a—"

"Yes I know, I'm a regular Snow Queen," Elsa said, "I'm done this conversation with you."

"Oh until when? The next time you're ready to yell at me. That seems to be all you're capable of lately!"

"In that case perhaps I never resume a conversation with you. Maybe I'll just hop back in my room and you can whine and whine and whine begging me to make a stupid snowman with you and then we'll see how you feel!"

The temperature had dropped. It was snowing a bit overhead, and frost was creeping all over the room. But Anna was looking in her sister's eyes with a look akin to a dog trying to figure out why its owner had just smacked it. Tears were already pooling and her bottom lip was shaking, she turned off and marched to the sound of her own sniffling.

Elsa brought her hands to her face and groaned.

* * *

Anna cried for longer than she cared to admit. It was the worst kind of crying, silent and into a pillow, curled up in on herself, alone. She wished Olaf was there, of all the people who could walk in her room she wished it had been him. He always knew what to say, most of the time not realizing it.

She whipped her nose on her sleeve for probably the fifth time that night and got up from bed. Elsa had told her to stay in her room and Anna didn't think her threat was to be taken lightly. But she was also incredibly thirsty. Was slowly killing her sister part of the punishment?

"Oh to hell with Elsa," Anna mumbled under her breath, still looking over her should in her own room to make sure no one heard her swear.

She silently padded into the hallway. The sun had gone done long ago with only the moonlight flooding the windows to light her way through the dark corridors and down staircases. She knocked into a bust, which she promptly caught and shoved back on its pedestal. She also walked into a bannister. No one heard though.

She opened the door and slipped in quietly. No one would be up at this hour but still, the last thing she needed was some staff member rating her out to Elsa who, no doubt, have given orders to make sure Anna didn't leave her room.

A light was on in the kitchen and it smelled like burnt food.

"Damn," she hissed.

She turned and prepared to pad her way back out of the kitchen and wait for the other person to leave. But the sound of crying stopped her. She turned. It was a woman crying. She stuck close to the open pantry door and peaked around the side to see the back of a very familiar platinum blonde head.

Elsa's head was bowed into her hands and she was crying, real proper crying. She was quiet, but it seemed only because she was repressing most of what was trying to get out.

"Elsa…"

Anna hadn't meant to say it out loud but all her anger melted away when she saw the queen's slumped shoulders, broken posture, and silent cries. Suddenly Anna saw a very different woman sitting before her than the one who had coldly banished her into the confines of her room.

Elsa let out a squeak as she turned around, startled. Seeing Anna standing there only caused her to crumble again as she silently shrugged her shoulders down again and shook her head in her hands. Sitting across the way from her, on the counter, was a cookie sheet filled with black mounds that must have once been cookies in their very short life.

"What are you doing down here?" Anna asked, carefully walking over to her.

"I could ask you the same question."

She gingerly rubbed her balled fist under her nose. She ran her fingers under her eyes, clearly away the wetness there. It didn't do much to hide her appearance though, her eyes were bluer than she'd ever seen them with her eyes so bloodshot.

"I got thirsty," Anna said, sheepishly, "I know I should be in my room."

"No, no," Elsa said, waving her hand dismissively. "I…um…I wanted to apologize. I was trying to. I was going to make you kringla cookies but…"

They both turned to the tray of very badly misshapen and burnt cookies. Off past them was a second tray of equally destroyed would-be cookies.

"You made me cookies?" Anna asked, walking over to look at them.

"Well, technically no. My second batch burned and I just sort of…" she trailed of, absently gesturing to where she had been sitting cry, "I overreacted. I know I did. I shouldn't have said those things I just—you don't have the best judgment Anna. And Kristoff should know better. And you don't—you think you know everything Anna but you don't. And I just won't watch you get hurt in some way."

Anna sat down and looked at the ground, face reddening. She knew Elsa was right. Anna had initiated the kiss and also started to take it to far. He protested a bit, citing how much trouble they'd be in if Elsa caught them but Anna hadn't listened.

"I'm sorry. I have no excuse," Anna said, head bowed, hands folded together in her lap. "I wasn't thinking and then I was embarrassed that you came in and then even more embarrassed that you yelled at me in front of Kristoff and I…I didn't meant what I said Elsa you have to believe me."

She jumped up and grabbed Elsa's cold hands.

"I'm not angry about it anymore, I've forgiven you," Anna insisted but the look Elsa gave her told her she didn't believe it.

Anna was over it…wasn't she? She'd like to think she was but those words flowed so easily out of her mouth last night. And they'd come so easily out of Elsa too. Perhaps it would always be this way, they'd forever have matching scars on their hearts, struggling to heal.

Well, they might as well keep the matching set together right?

Anna pulled Elsa into a hug and held tight to her smelling something akin to winter air on her sister's skin. Elsa returned her embrace and rested her chin on Anna's shoulder.

"I didn't mean what I said…about the snowman," Elsa mumbled.

"I know," Anna hummed. "You know Elsie," Anna said, pulling away, "I really appreciate the effort but you really can't bake," Anna laughed. Elsa shrugged.

"Good thing I became a queen and not a baker then," Elsa smiled.

"Some practical skills do help Elsie," Anna said, walking over to the kitchen supplies, "What if you get overthrown and have to live your life as a farmer in some foreign country, hiding your identity?"

"Yes what if that exact scenario happened?" Elsa repeated, teasing her.

"Come on, you're learning at least how to not burn things," Anna said, pull Elsa over to the oven.

Eventually Olaf came in, thankfully after they'd gotten the crying out, took a look at Elsa's disastrous cookies, and informed her that he loved her anyway. They laughed while Anna forced Elsa to help her make real cookies, without completely ruining them.

"Third time's a charm," Elsa winked, biting into the cookies they shared, ignoring their wounded souls, while their snowman prattled in the background


	5. Hiding

**Note**: prompt was "hiding" where Kristoff runs into Elsa's study and discovers her dyslexia. I myself am dyslexic so doing this was close to home

They should have all seen this coming. Anna was a temperamental and obnoxious girl when she was simply walking down the hall. It only should have been logical then, during pregnancy, that she'd turn into a raging smokestack that would just as soon blow up one minute as she would cry the next. All the while demanding the strangest assortment of food from the kitchen

"I'm just saying," Kristoff said cautiously, "You look tired, you should try taking a nap."

"How am I suppose to nap?" she said, "I can't sleep on my side. I can't sleep on my back because it's killing me, and I can't sleep on my stomach because you've gone and shoved a giant ball in there."

Kristoff cringed, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, trying at least to get her to sit down. But that only resulted in her jumping right up.

"And what do you mean I 'look tired'?" she said. "Of course I'm tired, I'm carrying another human inside me. You'd be tired too!"

"No, I didn't mean…you just need rest."

Not twenty minutes ago had she been gently cooing over the baby's kicks and telling Kristoff how much she loved him and now here they were. In her defense it was not easy. She was only a week from her due date and was finally losing it. Kristoff was horrified to think of what would happen if the baby was late, God forbid.

"Why don't you go rest," she snapped, flopping onto her bed, her very pregnant belly prominent in that position.

"You know I think I may just…"

And he slipped from the bedroom, closing it softly. He hoped she had tuckered herself out with the yelling and would actually get some sleep. He walked down the hall at a quickened pace in case she woke. He needed a place to lay low for the day until she cycled back to her more happy emotions.

He couldn't really complain. She was carrying his child and she would give birth to his child. He owed her a debt he could never repay even if he lived to be a hundred. And besides, he did have a hand in the conception of this child, he might as well take the brunt of her discomfort. But for now, he needed to find a place to rest as Anna had commanded him.

Downstairs he stopped at a very familiar room and opened the door without knocking.

"Elsa help," he groaned, flopping face first into her couch.

"Why do you think I've been in here for three days?" she said, not looking up from her paperwork.

Kristoff kicked the door shut with his foot. When Anna had announced she was pregnant Elsa offered brief congratulations to Anna (turns out the first person Anna told had been her sister) and said simply to Kristoff "good luck." He now understood why.

"What can I do for you Kristoff?" Elsa said, placing her papers back on the table and looking at him.

"Give me a place to hide for a few hours? I can't say a damn thing right," he said.

"Fair enough," she said, picking her paper back up, "Just do me a favor and don't touch anything. And if you start snoring I reserve the right to smother you with a pillow."

"Deal."

Kristoff fell off asleep quickly and it felt like only seconds later that he was awake, though the way the sun fell through the window argued otherwise. He groaned, rubbed his face roughly, yawned, and sat up.

Elsa had moved on to other papers. She was gripping tight at her temple with one hand and the other was knocking against the desk in agitation. Her brow was furrowed and she occasionally closed her eyes for an extended period of time, then opened them again. She didn't even seem aware tat Kristoff was watching her.

It was only when it started snowing in the room that he intervened.

"Elsa what's wrong?" he asked, getting up and walking over to her. She threw the paper back on her desk and let out a long sigh, rubbing her forehead.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"It's snowing in here. Tell me what's wrong."

He was worried it had something to do with the government, an uprising, a declaration of war, sour trade agreements. Elsa often spent hours working and working away in her study without incident.

"What did you read that's got you so worked up?" he asked.

"It's not what I _did_ read…" she said. She got up and walked to the window. She wasn't looking and he took a glance at the paper.

A letter from the Prince of Wales congratulating Anna on her baby. That was odd. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary. But then Kristoff took a look at her written notes on a page just beneath the pile. The handwriting was very poor, poorer than he ever imagined Elsa capable of. And many of the words were, well, the only way to put it was: wrong. Some letters were backwards, most of the words were spelled in a strange order, some sentences didn't make sense, much of the page was scratched out.

"Anna, my parents, and my tutors were the only ones who knew," Elsa said. She was looking at him from the window.

"What is it?" he asked, turning the paper in his hands, trying to make sense of what the sentences meant.

"They don't have a name for it," Elsa said, walking over and sitting back down in her desk, "It's a…condition…with reading. Letters will just mix up and jumble and bounce around on the page. I write what I see," Elsa nodded to the paper in Kristoff's hands.

The trolls had made sure he could read. He had to, to do trade and sales in the town, he had to know words and letters. He'd never heard of any reading condition like this one but Elsa looked so worn and tried at her desk. And sad. And suddenly Kristoff felt terrible for her. No wonder she spent hours on end working on one or two papers.

The perfect princess and beloved queen did have a flaw after all.

"Well," he said, kneeling down next to her, "I can help you, if you'd like. As long as I'm hiding out in your study, I might as well be of some use—I was hardly any use to Anna."

"I don't know Kristoff…"

"Come on," he said, getting up to sit on her desk, "I'll read whatever you need read and you can copy it down. I'll even be able to tell you when a word is wrong."

He smiled at her and she looked somewhere between shame and gratitude. But she took up her pen and readied to write. They continued like that for a solid two hours, Kristoff dictating while Elsa wrote. He stopped her occasionally to tell her the proper arrangement of some letters. Ultimately it worked out well. He was even learning.

"What does that phrase mean?" Kristoff asked, "The 'heir presumptive'?"

"It means Anna is first-in-line for the throne currently but will be displaced when I have children," Elsa explained.

"So what's the phrase for the person who's born heir?"

"Heir apparent."

She taught him quite a few things that afternoon about the government, about her family history, about Arendelle. And he actually liked learning it. About two years ago he would have scoffed at the idea of taking lessons with the queen but he ate up every fact and term she threw at him. This was Anna's world he was learning about, the world his children would belong to. It was their history, and it was, by extension, his as well.

"I could help you again you know," Kristoff said as he was leaving, "You shouldn't have to sit in here alone to suffer through it."

"Careful, I may just take you up on that offer. You'll go from Official Ice Master and Delivery to Scribe," Elsa laughed.

"What else are brothers for?" he winked.

He walked back to the bedroom to find Anna passed out asleep in bed, arms lightly resting on her stomach. He laid down next to her, kissed her cheek, and then her stomach. So hiding out wasn't the worst thing in the world.


	6. Fear

**Note**: So as many of you have pointed out I could benefit from a beta (not only do I clunk on the keyboard sometimes but dyslexia makes it hard for me to pick out mistakes). So if someone out there wanted to volunteer as tribute and beta read for me I'd be very happy. Be warned though, I do update a few times a week. Upside is you get to read my stuff before it goes up (and in the case of longer stories I'd probably tell you future plot points). Send me a message if you're interested! In the meantime...the prompt was "fear" where Elsa has a nightmare and sneaks into Anna's room.

Elsa shouldn't be there. It was late at night…or possibly early in the morning. She'd run the risk of waking Anna but the longer she stood in the hallway the more frost started collecting at her feet. She had to know. It was irrational, obviously Anna was alive and well asleep in her room. Why wouldn't she be? Elsa turned her feet to walk away.

But what if she wasn't? The dream was always so vivid, based on a memory that burned right into her memory. And it did burn. _Never forget what you did Elsa…_

"Dammit," she hissed and quickly opened the door.

She hoped she would leave the frost outside the room because there was a small lump in the middle of Anna's bed that was clearly breathing. She sighed, she felt a weight release from her chest. The room was so warm. It was bright even in the dark.

She stepped a bit closer to the bed, just to make sure when she knocked right into a pile of books and with multiple thuds Anna shot up like a firecracker. She yelped as she became tangled in her sheets and blankets.

"Whosthere?" she slurred, "I warn you, I've fought off a giant snow monster before."

She held up a candlestick next to her bed, ready to swing.

"At ease Your Highness, it's me," Elsa said, rising from putting the books back in place.

"Elsa?"

"Yes. Sorry I woke you. I was just…"

She trailed off and turned, head down, back to the door hoping Anna was still drowsy enough to let it go. There was a bang, a crash, and a groan from Anna. Elsa whipped her head back around to see her tangled in blankets on the floor. Apparently not.

"Anna, get back in bed," Elsa said, hurrying over to help her to her feet. Anna rubbed her head.

"No, I'm awake now. What are you doing in here? Not that I don't want you in my room! Well it used to be your room too, when you're bed was just over…Did you want to talk about something?" Anna continued to hold her bumped head.

"No, I just…I shouldn't have come in here. It was just a dream, good night Anna," Elsa said, turning away again but something warm caught her at the elbow. Anna gave her a look and pulled her over to the bed,

"Talk to me about it."

"It's stupid."

"Apparently not too stupid for you to wake up in the middle of the night and come in here."

Anna was far too perceptive and stubborn for her own good. An unfortunate combination for someone trying to hide something from her. Anna recently didn't let anything slip. She latched on to every miniscule indication that Elsa was in need of someone to talk to, a hug, a hand to hold. She latched onto Elsa so tight now that the door was open, out of fear perhaps that if she slipped in her grip for even a second the door would close again.

"It was just…about what happened that day. My entire life I dreamed of all the ways I'd find you frozen and dead but it was just imaginary and now I have real, actual memories of my worst fear and it just plays over and over and over again before my eyes," Elsa said, she was beginning to word vomit, where had that come from? She felt her pule pick up, she had to keep talking, she needed to move, she needed to get up, she had to keep talking.

"And I just have to relive it constantly. I close my eyes and I see it. I look out on the fjord and I see it. I can remember what you felt like, exactly what you looked like. And every time I see it I'm shouting 'no, take me instead, take me in her place' and no one answers and it just keeps going and—"

Something slammed into her body. It was Anna, arms latched around her and head buried into a shoulder. Elsa just sat there, arms out, petrified.

"I'm right here Elsa," she whispered. "It's not real."

"It was real though…"

Anna felt so warm. Elsa could feel her breathing, she even felt her heart beat. She was alive. She was right here. So why was Elsa breathing so heavy? Why couldn't she move? She closed her eyes and saw her young sister shot right in the head with the magic. She opened them and imagined her dead on the fjord.

Oh no.

The warmth from the room was dissipating fast. Frost was creeping from the corners of the room like the busemann himself. It crawled and cracked and slunk ever to close.

"No, no," Elsa said, shoving Anna away.

Anna turned to see the room. She immediately looked at Elsa.

"You can control it," she said steadily, "Breath, it's not real. I'm right here. I'm with you. We're together and you can control it."

It wasn't working. Logic meant nothing right now as Elsa constantly saw her frozen sister over and over and over again. _Stop it!_ She smacked the heel of her hand to her forehead. She was back in the ice palace again, Anna was trying to reason with her and she wasn't listening feeling just like _this._

"Conceal…don't feel!" she said instinctively.

"No! Elsa please," Anna pleaded. "Don't do that."

"Don't feel, don't feel, don't feel…" she whispered.

"Please…" Anna whispered in tears, kneeling on the floor near Elsa. "Don't go back to then."

Elsa couldn't help it. This was a panic attack she was sure of it. She hugged her stomach and hunched over on the floor, muttering to herself to calm down. She kept her eyes shut, she didn't want to open them and see ice and snow. She didn't want to see Anna dying from frostbite right next to her.

About twenty minutes later she finally opened her eyes. She lifted her head. The frost had settled, no longer growing. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to see Anna sitting near her.

Anna was crying. Streaks of tears clutched her cheeks, her eyes were red, and she let out a small hiccup or two trying to keep a sob under control. Her eyes were on Elsa the entire time. Her face was devastation and pity and all the sadness in the entire world.

"Is this what you did for thirteen years, alone?" she managed. There was something alike to horror in her voice.

Anna had never seen Elsa in this state. Elsa told her about the years of isolation, trying to gain control but never told her what it looked like, what it felt like. And Anna had just been given a crash course.

"Please," Anna whispered, daring to scoot close to her, "Don't do that. You don't have to anymore." She paused, whipping a few tears away.

Elsa just rubbed her head. She thought she was over this. She thought she moved beyond this childish mantra, hiding in the corner. _I'm such a fool I can't be free…_

Anna placed a hand her shoulder.

"It's okay to be afraid," Anna said, "I know you want to be the queen and the perfect one and the person everyone looks up to and looks to. But it's okay to be human too Elsa."

Anna had just learned the hard way that Elsa was indeed, very human…too human. Giving destructive, deadly, world altering powers to someone who could feel, someone who could cry? What kind of cruel game was that?

"I'm afraid too you know," Anna said, "I dream about Hans there, with the sword. I dream that I don't get there in time. I watch you die right in front of me. And I know it was my fault because I trusted him."

Anna was crying again. Elsa wanted to hold her hand, but all she could offer was cold and Anna needed warmth. But still…she didn't want to go back into that empty room. She didn't want to walk in a feel the cold, truly actually _feel_ it.

"Well," Elsa said, "I guess since we're both here we might as well stay here together…"

Anna laughed.

"There are less formal ways of asking someone for a sleepover Elsa," Anna smiled.

Elsa smiled too, she reached out and whipped a few tear streaks away. Anna didn't shiver at her touch and the room began to the thaw. Anna looked up and smiled back at Elsa.

They silently crawled into bed together.

"Just do me a favor and don't wake me up by sitting on me," Elsa mumbled into her pillow as she slowly began drifting off.

"Wake up when I ask the first time and I won't have to," Anna said back.

Elsa dreamt of spring.


	7. Word

**Note**: This one wasn't beta'd so watch out. It's the last one I'll put up without a beta. The prompt was "word" about Anna learning to talk.

Anna's first word was not "Mama", it was not "Papa", or wasn't even "ball" or "yes" or "no" or any of the usual suspects that prattled out of toddlers' mouths. She was about a year and a half when she spoke for the first time to a group of awed foreign dignitaries who spent the night rambling on about how adorable she was and how she'd make a fine and beautiful young lady.

Weeks prior, everyone who came by the young princess in the castle tried to coax words out of her.

"This is a 'doll', can you say 'doll'?' Gerda asked in a singsong voice while carrying Anna to her nap.

Anna just bubbled happily and took the doll, hugging it to her chest tightly.

"You'll have to start with words soon young lady," Gerda bopped the tip of her nose.

"She tries," Elsa said, walking next to them. "She tried to say 'hello' the other day. No one believes me though."

"Well I'm sure she'll start soon," Gerda said, "My own grandmother used to tell me that a baby's first word can tell their future. I think it's a load of nonsense personally but I had a cousin whose first word was 'pen' and he became a scribe for the Duke of Amstel so who knows."

The group just continued down the hallway to the nursery. Gerda carefully laid the younger princess into her crib while Elsa climbed up into her bed, brining her doll with her.

"Sleep tight Highnesses," Gerda whispered as she excited the room.

It was not long into this nap that Elsa was awoken by the cry of her baby sister. Elsa drowsily rubbed her eyes awake at the sound, mumbling. That was until she realized Anna was crying. She practically tumbled out of bed, caught in the sheets.

"Anna!"

She padded up to the crib, climbing up the side and hanging her arms into it where her younger sister was red faced with tears all over her face. Perhaps she had a bad dream, or maybe bumped her head in her sleep, or even just was a little too gassy for her own comfort.

"Shh," Elsa said, bringing her finger to her lips. "Don't cry. It's me, Elsa."

Anna looked up at that, her face still scrunched but her cries silenced, eyes focused intently on her sister.

"Hey look at this."

Elsa produced a puff of snowflakes in the air and Anna immediately started giggling as she usually did. She reached her little arms up into the air, trying to grasp them as they floated down into her crib.

"Snow, can you say 'snow'?" Elsa asked.

Anna just kept giggling.

"How about 'snowflake'? 'Ice'? 'Winter'?" Elsa said but Anna only tilted her head to her in confusion. "You're right," Elsa said resting her head on the bar of the crib, "You like summer better. How about….'sun'?"

Anna just looked at her, expectantly. Elsa sighed dramatically.

"Okay," she huffed and produced more snowflakes to the giggles of her sister.

"What about 'snowman'?"

Nothing.

"'Christmas'?"

Just giggles.

"'Princess'?"

A cough.

"What about you're name? 'Anna'?"

By that time the smaller girl had passed out in her crib again, lulled back to sleep by her sister's voice. Elsa waved away the snowflakes that fluttered over Anna's sleeping form and got back into bed with only enough time to try and go back to sleep for a few minutes before Gerda came in.

"Rise and shine princesses."

Elsa sighed and got up immediately while Gerda went over to the crib to lift up the sleeping Anna who was roused into wakefulness, cooing noises. But still no words.

"Well, it looks like Anna got more sleep than Elsa," Gerda teased at Anna who never took her eyes off her older sister, possibly waiting for more magic. Elsa shook her head at Anna as they walked out of the room for tea.

* * *

That night was a state dinner. Mama and Papa made Elsa go, dressed in a fancy bunad dress and small tiara. She spent the night politely thanking the adults who came up to her, bowing and curtseying, and told her how "pretty of a young lady" she was and how "she'd made a lovely queen one day."

Anna meanwhile played around in her playpen, taken from it only to eat dinner in a highchair, set off from the side of the table.

"What about 'food'?" Elsa whispered to her, sitting the closest to her sister.

Anna just continued to giggle as she went between playing with her food and eating it.

"'Cookie'?"

Elsa was very set on being the one to make Anna talk. She knew the girl was close, she always babbled in sounds close to actual words. The other day Elsa told her their home was called a "castle" and Anna parroted back something that sounded like "casbum".

"Elsa, I think it's time for bed," Mama whispered into her ear.

Elsa nodded and hopped down from her chair, holding Kai's hand as he lead her to the front of the room. Gerda followed them with Anna in tow, one hand in Gerda's, the other in her mouth.

"Goodnight," Elsa said with a curtsey to the room who gave her polite nods and mumbled at how adorable she and her sister was.

Anna had looked at Elsa when she spoke and removed her hand from her mouth. Elsa gave her sister a small wink, earning a giggle.

"Goodnight Princess Anna, Princess Elsa," Papa said formally, but with a warm smile.

"Elsa."

At first no one was sure where the voice came from. But then heads slowly turned to look down at the small princess, bouncing happily and clapping her hands at her elder sister.

"Elsa! Elsa! Elsa!"

"Her first word!" Gerda exclaimed with a smile while Mama and Papa jumped up from their seats to coddle and congratulate their youngest daughter.

No one seemed to pay attention to exactly what the word had been except for the person the word belonged to. Elsa smiled brighter than the sun at her sister who giggled in her direction. Elsa gave her sister a sly "thumbs-up" sign which Anna tried to replicate to no avail.

Perhaps everyone assumed the word was just babble, Anna was repeating the last thing she heard before finally deciding to talk. But Elsa saw and _felt_ Anna's eyes on her when she said it. Anna knew what she was saying, she knew who she was saying it to. She called her sister by her name. She called to her sister.

Later that night Anna whispered and giggled in the dark "Elsa! Elsa!" until the girl herself appeared at the side of her crib to conjure snowflakes and lull her sister back to sleep.

Over the years Anna never really knew or cared to understand what her first word had been. But Elsa never forgot.


	8. Gethsemane

**Note**: This prompt was actually "humanity" but after I finished I decided on the more stylized title of "Gethsemane" because Elsa's struggle here reminded me a lot of Jesus in the garden asking God to spare him his forthcoming death on the cross. I'm not a religious person at all but Elsa would be so this seemed to work.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will be done, but yours be done," Elsa whispered, hands clasped in prayer.

She whispered it often. She whispered it always. She knew it in every language she spoke and thought it before she went to bed at night. Every time the frost flitted from her fingertips, every time the snow cascading from above in her room._ Take this cup away from me…_

"Why was Jesus a man?" Elsa asked one day during studies with the reverend.

"Beg pardon, Highness?"

"God used Jesus to save humanity," Elsa said, "Why did God make him a human? Why not make him like an angel? Why not make it so he couldn't be hurt? It would have worked better I think," Elsa said.

"That is a blaspheme, Highness," said the reverend carefully and Elsa slumped down in her chair to continue reading.

Elsa looked to the Bible often as a girl while trying to understand her curse. She thought of the Book of Job and how God delivered him into nothing but agony again and again for no given reason. Perhaps the powers were like that. Sometimes bad things happened, sometimes you were a monster, sometimes you hurt your sister, sometimes you locked away from the world, sometimes bad things happened.

She should be like Job and take it. Bad things happen sometimes. Sometimes you are the bad thing…why was there no story in the Bible for that?

But there was wasn't there. And its name was Lucifer. Perhaps she was the villain. Was it blasphemy to think you might be the devil? The older Elsa got, the less she cared.

"Elsa! It's your 18th birthday! You have to come out!" said a familiar voice outside her door. "I made you a card…"

Silently a decorated piece of paper was slipped under her door complete with snowflakes and hearts and Christmas drawings. Ah that's right, it was Christmas Eve as well. Funny how that worked out.

"Surely, I've excelled in your test," Elsa whispered at night. _Take this cup away from me…_

Why make her human? If God insisted on making this her fate, if he required this of her, then why make her human? Why make her able to cry? Why make her able to laugh, able to bleed, able to scream, or able to hate? If not the other cup then take this one. Neither could exist in her at the same time as the other. Neither would permit the other. Powers or emotion, curse or humanity. _Give me one, forsake the other._

Anna came knocking again on Elsa's door, even high up in the mountains, far away, Anna knocked and knocked away. And all Elsa could offer was more pain, more suffering, more ice.

"What is the point of me?" Elsa cried, alone as the ice crept.

Only the sound of cracking, tightening, grappling ice responded. Was that the answer? It was hardly the one she wanted.

She was maelstrom and destruction. _Why make me human?_

She was on the fjord, dragged back to Arendelle in chains. It was a whiteout._ Is this what you wanted when let me be born? I didn't ask to be born. _She ran and ran and ran in the white, following only her instinct on how to get away.

"Let me go!" she yelled to the storm. It didn't listen. It trapped her on the fjord. Then it all came crashing down.

"Your sister is dead because of you."

Very well. If this was the end then let thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Finish what you started. End it now. Bleed me, crush me, beat me, kill me. Watch me die.

"No!"

Saving grace for the devil. Anna stepped in front the sword. Elsa was alive, Anna was dead.

_Why?_

There were tears, there was pain. There was a hole somewhere deeper than Elsa would have ever though her soul could stretch. Her soul was dead. The stilled snow was proof. Her heart was broken.

_Break the rest…kill me now, please. Take this cup away from me…_

But then, for the first time in her life, she was granted reward. Arms covered Elsa's form. So that's what a hug felt like. She'd forgotten. It was so warm, so soft, and she was sure that she and Anna shined together in the snow brighter than the moon. Love will thaw, of course it will thaw.

That's why Jesus was human. He had to understand what he was protecting. He had to know what love was, he had to know what crying was, what laughing was, what fear, and bravery was.

"I had to know," she whispered to Anna.

She had to understand what would happen if she failed. She had to love, she had to hate, she had to laugh, and she'd have to cry. She'd have to come close to taking another life so she could understand what it meant to spare one.

She no longer needed to know why. The powers were here, they were a part of her and she a part of them. Let her drink from the cup. She was human. She would always be human. She was the human person to ever live. And the powers were why.


	9. Monster

**Note**: Don't get too excited, this is like .4 seconds long. This was a short drabble I did on my tumblr page by request. It's based on the song **Monster by Imagine Dragons** and**_ HIGHLY_** suggest you listen to it while you read this. I'm was proud enough of how this turned out that I wanted to put it on here. Short as it is (I only made one or two adjustments on here) I really liked the way it was. And I'll be uploading another chapter, maybe even two, tomorrow.

"Elsa, please I know you're in there," Anna's voice came through the door, "People are asking where you've been…they say have courage and I am trying to…I'm right out here…for you, just…let me in."

Elsa squeezed her eyes so tight she thought she might pop her eyes right out the back of her head. She squeezed her hands so tight her fingernails dug crescents into her palms that might start bleeding at any second.

The room was covered in creeping, dark frost. The snow that was falling all around froze still in midair. It was dark and cold and dangerous and lonely inside. Anna could never come in. Anna could never exist in something like this. _See your reflection Elsa, this is you._

Elsa recalled her father, warning that the world would reject her if they found out what she was. Anna was no exception to that rule. She thought of the horror Anna's face would hold if the truth came out, worse than any rocks or ropes a lynch mob might wound her with. The door stayed closed.

"You kinda set off an eternal winter…everywhere."

"Everywhere?"

Elsa had never felt her stomach turn to lead so fast. It dropped right out and through the floor to the deepest circle of the inferno. Her heart grew hard and sharp like the ice cracking and tightening all around her. _See your reflection Elsa_...And then the ice attacked Anna..._This is you_.

_Why does everything I touch turn to ash? _

So she banished her, remembering now why the door always was meant to remain closed. Anna was made of sunshine and day, Elsa was the moon and darkest night. Where Anna was, Elsa could never be. Where Elsa thrived, Anna would only die.

"Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

If only Anna could see her now. She held the lives of two men in either hand and full intended to end them both. How smoothly that knowledge went down, like wine in her brain, she'd flick her wrist and do it. She wanted it, she desired it. It bit at her in just the right way: vengeance. The tables were turned now, the knives once at her throat were pointed the other way. She was made for this, she was designed for this purpose, she was a predator, she was not a human, humans were beneath her. They were wrong, she was made for something greater. She was built for vengeance. She liked the idea of it, of holding power there and then letting it go.

_Let it go…no right, no wrong, no rules for me._

And then she saw herself reflected in the horror on his face. _See your reflection Elsa, this is you_. What had she done? What was she going to do? But the deed was done already, whether or not those men were alive. In her heart and mind she already killed, it was herself she murdered.

_That perfect girl is gone…_

Something awful replaced her. Anna would hate her, Anna would curse her and banish her. She couldn't bear it. She wouldn't look into Anna's eyes and see the disappointment, she wouldn't see the fear. She had to remember Anna as she was and prayed Anna remembered her as she once was, so many, many years ago, and not this thing she'd become.


	10. Gloves

**Note: **Sorry my previous note ended up being a lie. I planned to get two stories finished and up on Sunday but my work called at 11 and asked me to come in until close. So that basically fucked any chance of me getting these up. I work again today but here's one. I owe a prompt to someone (you know who you are) and I swear I'll get it up asap, it's only halfway done but it's coming next I promise. The prompt here is "gloves" (which I'm surprised didn't come sooner)

"No!"

Elsa was sweating. She was also upright. She'd been shocked awake and sprung up like a mousetrap. She dreamed Anna was ice again but cracking into a million unimaginable pieces, unable to put back together, until she turned to dust and was blown away in Elsa's whiteout. She was blown from the world and Elsa was screaming and screaming and screaming but no one could hear her and they chained up there on the fjord and kept repeating over and over: _Your sister is dead because of you._

"It's over," she said, "It's the past. It's done, its—frost."

The room was covered in a thick layer of frost on every surface except for a perimeter around Elsa herself. Snow was not only falling but swirling around a bit as if ready to form up a squall right in the room. She jumped at a cracking sound and saw a few spires of ice slowly growing in the corners.

"No…" she whispered. "No! No! No!"

She ripped herself out of bed. Tangled up in the sheets, she slammed onto the ground, frost crunching beneath her weight, bruises already forming where she'd burst capillaries beneath her skin. She was sure she probably cut something but she scrambled, slipping and ripping, up to her feet.

"Gloves!" she hissed. She needed the gloves. Where were the gloves? "Conceal don't feel, conceal don't feel, conceal, conceal."

She found her footing and raced over to her closet door. She wrenched open with a very loud crack as the ice splintered. She rushed in. Where were the gloves? She ripped open drawers and thrust her hands into the piles of clothes looking for them. They weren't where they usually were.

"No, no," she whimpered, "Where are they?"

She shoved her way back out of the closet, getting a nice puncture wound from a wayward ice spike. She groaned and began flipping open drawers in her room. She threw the books from the shelf. Were they under the chair cushions? Perhaps she'd used one as a bookmark. Not in that vase over there nor under the bed. She ripped pillows and bed covers off her mattress.

"No, where are you?" she felt tears in her eyes. The frost began creeping again. In places where she'd disturbed the ice it regrew, and then grew over. "No!" she smacked her hand against her forehead, "Stop it. Don't cry. Conceal."

Then there was a knock.

"Elsa, are you alright?"

It was Anna. No, no, no, not now, why now? Go away Anna. Get away Anna.

"Go away Anna."

Even in her silence, she could hear the weight of what she said crash down on her little sister. Oh so familiar this scene, Elsa on one side bathed in winter while Anna banged away on the door burgeoning spring. Elsa hiding, Anna alone. Elsa in a cage, Anna useless to find the key. Elsa misunderstood, Anna ill-equipped to understand.

"I'm coming in," she said with anger, perhaps to hide the pain. Perhaps she guessed what was happening, what Elsa's words meant.

"No, don't do that," Elsa said, "Just—go back to bed Anna."

She wouldn't tell Anna everything was fine. But perhaps if she made Anna angry enough she'd leave. It worked before.

"Oh don't you dare!"

Okay so angry didn't work. Anna struggled with the doorknob for a minute before the ice around the handle snapped beneath her force. She pushed her way in shoulder first and nearly slipped on entry over the ice.

"Elsa," she breathed. She shuffled her way, half holding the wall to the gaslight in the on the wall. She turned it on and saw her sister.

Elsa must have looked pitiful. She was crouched on the ground, her head in her hands and her body hunched in on itself. Her shoulder was bleeding, her hands raw from tearing at ice, her hair disheveled, a trail of incriminating tears from her eyes.

"I couldn't kind them," she managed to get out, before a sob.

"Elsa," Anna whispered and ran over, sliding the last portion of the way on her knees, crashing right into Elsa, hugging her on contact. "Stop crying, please," Anna sobbed into her shoulder.

"I couldn't find them, I was trying to find them," Elsa said, hands clasping at each other, both fighting to conceal the other.

"What?"

"The gloves."

The look on Anna's face was utter despair, utter heartache, utter devastation and pure, untainted, raw pain. She looked around the room.

"I had a bad dream," Elsa said, "And I woke up and there was ice and I wanted the gloves, I couldn't find them anywhere."

"You don't need them," Anna insisted through building tears. She held Elsa closer.

"No! Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you!"

Now that was familiar.

"Elsa please—"

Elsa swatted Anna's hand away and in the process send a gust of concentrated frosted air her sister's way. Anna hissed and jumped back. Elsa just stared at her shaking hand, gritting her teeth.

"Dammit," she strained.

"I'm not hurt! Look!" Anna said quickly, holding up her hand.

Elsa didn't answer. She tucked her arms into her sides and stayed there. She was whispering in her head and aloud those three words. The dream was so real because it happened, and it could still happen. The room right now was proof of that. She'd spend the rest of her life making sure it didn't happen, just like before. She'd be cautious, she'd be careful. She'd keep the gloves on and keep everything in check. She'd limit excursions, she'd—feel very warm.

A blanket had been laid over her shoulders. A blanket to warm to have come from her own room. She looked up to see Anna sitting on the bed, just looking at her. The tears were dried now and she just looked…tired.

"Kai heard you banging around in here," Anna said. "He came to wake me. He said he thought you might need help."

Elsa lowered her head and pulled the blanket in on herself.

"You can't keep doing this," Anna said gently, "At some point you need to let it go."

Elsa snorted.

"I meant it."

"You weren't there," Elsa said. "Not the way I was."

"You'd be surprised," Anna said, with an edge, "I dream all the time that I don't get to you in time, that Hans kills you. Or that I stupidly choose Kristoff instead and thaw while you die."

"You have the luxury of nightmares."

Anna's silence told Elsa that her point was valid. Nothing dangerous ever came from Anna's screams in the night or silent tears. Elsa's emotions became tangible and real before her eyes.

"It's poison," Elsa whispered.

And that's where Anna had had it. She huffed.

"No, this place is."

Anna stepped forward and pulled Elsa to her feet. She pulled her from the room, closing the door and the frosty air behind them, she walked her down the hallway and into her own room.

"What are you doing?"

"You're sleeping in my room tonight."

Elsa rooted herself where she stood.

"No."

"Yes."

"If I get another nightmare—"

"Then I will be right there to help you."

Elsa didn't answer but she allowed herself to be pulled along. She wondered if Anna could feel her shaking under her grip, the closer they got to Anna's room…Elsa's old room.

"Your power is beautiful, Elsa," Anna said, sitting her sister down on the bed and kneeling in front of her.

"They're destructive and dangerous, and capable of great evil and—"

"And happy, and free, and light. Just like a person they've got good and bad in them. You made that castle, you made Olaf. Nothing comes from nothing. A monster could never make something so pure and innocent. Surely you've recognized by now Olaf _is_ you."

Elsa just slumped on the bed. Sometimes Anna could walk into every inanimate object in a ten mile radius and sometimes, usually when it came to Elsa, she was wiser than anyone could think possible.

Elsa rubbed her eyes. This would be the first time she and Anna spent the night together since they shared this room.

"I just wish I knew where the gloves got to," Elsa said. Anna turned slightly red.

"I took them."

"You what?"

"Elsa, they're evil. And the make you into something you're not," Anna said. "I still have them. I know where they are and I'll make you a deal: tonight you stay in this room. If you ask me for the gloves, I'll give them to you. But only if you ask."

Well that was just great. Passive aggressive blackmail, when had Anna gotten so nefarious?

"Very well."

They got into bed, Elsa laying stock still like a stick until Anna placed a hand on her arm and fell asleep gripping her. She focused on the warmth. She focused on Anna's breathing and sound of her snoring. Eventually she drifted off. And she dreamed of the ice and danger in the mountains and swirling wind and Anna dying and splintering to pieces and—

She woke with a start but was unable to jerk up like before. She felt arms wrapped around her and a head buried into her shoulder. Anna had latched onto her and held tight, held warm.

"You're okay," Anna whispered.

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. _Okay, I'll play. I'm okay. There's no ice. Just this. Just Anna. Just me. We're both here._

An eventually she was asleep again, without asking for gloves.


	11. Jealousy

**Note**: All righty this was a prompt I've owed to someone all week as part of our rp deal on tumblr. The prompt was "jealousy" where Elsa and Kristoff have been spending time together and it's not Elsa she's jealous of, but rather Kristoff. Sorry about this update taking three days longer than I said but again, I work part time retail and it's the last week before Christmas. For those of you that read "Star Crossed" just know that I'm working on the next chapter but again...retail, and the next chapter does feature a pivot point for the story arc. Also, I've started working on another unnamed Frozen story that would basically be a retelling of the movie using the abandoned plot points from the demo cd (heir and spare arc, the prophecy, etc). Let me know if that sounds like something you're interested in.

"You promise you won't tell her?"

"Elsa, you've got my word as your Official Ice Master and Deliverer. This is between you and me."

Anna's brow furrowed from behind the door. She'd only caught the back half of whatever it was Kristoff was discussing with her sister. She pressed her ear harder to the solid oak door, just in time to hear shuffling in the room. She squeaked and practically threw herself across the room and into the alcove behind a window.

"You're a very good friend Kristoff," Elsa said and walked the opposite direction.

Kristoff just nodded and headed off the other way. Anna pouted from her hiding spot. What were they talking about that Anna wasn't allowed to know? It wasn't anywhere near her birthday and it sounded far too serious, regardless, for discussing gifts.

"Kai," Anna said, popping out as the head of household walked passed. He jumped and nearly dropped the pile of books in his hands.

"My goodness, Your Highness, you gave me a fright," he clutched his chest, "I do hope you're not planning on repeating your 'jump out and scare everyone' phase."

"No, no. Sorry. I was just wondering—I know it's kinda against the rules but I swear I won't tell a soul if you tell me—but did you happen to…overhear what my sister and Kristoff were talking about by any chance?" Anna asked.

Kai gave her a look somewhere between scolding and sympathy.

"I did not, Highness," he said, "And even if I did, you know the first rule in this castle: the queen's servants hear everything, but listen to nothing."

Anna nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. She sent Kai along to continue his duties for the day. She pouted again, walking slowly down the hall thinking. If she asked either Kristoff or Elsa she'd reveal her own eavesdropping. Elsa would scold her and use that as grounds to not answer, Kristoff would probably huff off annoyed. She wouldn't get an answer and would succeed in angering them both and embarrassing herself all at once.

New tactic: be as sneaky as possible.

* * *

It happened a few more times. Anna would be aimlessly walking by and she'd overhear them whispering to each other.

"Kristoff she'd be so disappointed in me if she knew," Elsa groaned.

"Elsa she wouldn't be disappointed at all," Kristoff said, "In fact I'm pretty sure it's impossible for you to disappoint her. She worships the ground you walk on. She has since she was like 5 years old."

"Yes that's exactly why she'd be disappointed," Elsa said louder it sounded as though she stood, "No one disappoints better than our heroes."

"Not for this, Elsa," Kristoff said, "She wouldn't be disappointed, she wouldn't blame you. She'd try to help you—"

"I don't want to see her pity me either!" Elsa said, "And she'd be angry to hear I'm still keeping secrets from her."

Anna's brow furrowed. Secrets. Elsa was famous for them. Never was there someone better at hiding things than Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. She was a human box with no key. The plunder she kept inside was worth more than a goldmine. And here she was spilling those secrets to Kristoff….to Kristoff…

Then Anna got angry.

"To Kristoff?!" she hissed.

Elsa was spilling her soul out to a man she'd only met a few months ago. A man who wasn't even really _her_ friend. She'd banished Olaf from her office earlier today and even Anna yet here she was talking up a storm with Kristoff. It even sounded now like she might be close to tears, she never cried in front of _anyone_.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa's voice said.

"What?" Anna jumped up and then away from the door.

Both Elsa and Kristoff were standing there staring at her, their face annoyed. Kristoff's arms were crossed.

"You were out here talking to yourself—" (damn that ramble apparently had come out of her mouth as well)"—and eavesdropping." Elsa said the last part very, well, icily.

"What? It's a free castle," Anna said, trying to be casual.

"It's _my_ castle."

Anna felt her face get redder and redder and she just might pop steam from her ears. Forget casual, she jumped right off the wall she leaned against and marched up to Elsa, not quite eye level with her, she glared.

"Yes and in your castle you've been sneaking around and whispering, the both of you," Anna gestured to Kristoff. He looked ready to say something but Elsa held a hand up.

"It's the queen's prerogative to sneak around and whisper about anything I desire," Elsa said.

"Well I—

"And I am curious what has gotten into you."

"If you would—"

"You're awfully temperamental."

"I'm not temperamental, I'm jealous!-Wait what?"

She threw her hands over her mouth and Elsa gave her the most incredulous look she'd ever seen. Off to the side Kristoff had opened his mouth a few times to try and get in on the conversation but was halted by Elsa again.

"You're jealous?" she asked, amused.

"Not of _you_," Anna said in such a way that Elsa almost looked offended. Anna pointed to Kristoff, "Of you."

"What?' he said.

But off to the side Elsa sighed, grasping what he did not. She stepped between the two of them, turning to Kristoff.

"Kristoff could you give us a minute," she said.

"Well, I'm a part of this too you know," he said. She placed a hand on his shoulder, then she turned to face Anna very seriously.

"Give me a minute to speak to my sister," she said. She clasped her hands in front of her and never broke off eye contact with Anna, even if Anna found it hard to maintain it with her.

Kristoff sighed, mumbled in Anna's ear about talking to her later, placed a quick kiss on her temple, and exited the room. Anna was left alone with only Elsa's cold blue eyes staring at her, and, she couldn't help but feel, judging her.

"I should have known," Anna said, "After all these years, you still keep secrets."

"I'm a queen, as cliché as it is, my secrets have secrets," Elsa said calmly.

"Not from me."

"Even from you."

Anna felt her anger turn into something calmer but far more aching. She dulled her edge into disappointment.

"I had hoped," Anna said quietly, "I was…more important."

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. She sat down in a chair at the head of the table and motioned for Anna to join her. She stared at the hardwood while she spoke to her.

"Perhaps, a better way to phrase this is not that you are less important, but that you are the most important to me," Elsa said.

"Then why don't you tell me?" Anna said. "I like that you and Kristoff are getting along, I _really _do. He says you're the closest thing he's ever had to a sister and honestly Elsa I thought I might cry right there because I was so happy but…I'm _your_ sister and I'm the one who is suppose to be keeping secrets for you," Anna said.

"Anna," Elsa said, sitting forward, "I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me. I'm still afraid of that, in fact."

"Elsa I wouldn't be—"

"Don't even, you have no idea what I'm about to say how would you know if you'd be disappointed or not?"

Anna turned red and got quiet. She made herself small and looked at the table.

"I lied to you."

Anna waited.

"I told you I got rid of my gloves."

Anna looked up.

"I didn't. Not all of them."

Anna couldn't stop her face from frowning. Not in disappointed way, she realized, but rather in pity. She pieced together the other bits of conversation she'd overheard. These were the types of secrets Elsa kept from her? _That_ was the disappointing part. Over thirteen years later and Elsa still hid the magic from Anna. It was only fitting, in an unfortunate way.

"I love you more than anything Anna," Elsa said, "But in Kristoff I have someone who is more level headed about the situation. You would react a certain way because of how you feel. Kristoff wasn't there to experience most of this and has an unbiased opinion. I asked him if it would be awful if I kept a pair of gloves just in case and he said he thought it was a good idea. When I realized if it had been you I had asked you would have told me 'no' immediately…I had to keep it a secret from you."

As Anna's head rose, Elsa's bowed in shame. And Anna realized it would always be this way. No matter how far she and Elsa got there was too much damage done to be completely free again. Elsa would always hide these things from her. She would confide in Kristoff, in Olaf, in Kai, in however she could to release the tension while keeping Anna innocent.

"Okay," Anna said.

"What?"

"I said 'okay', keep your secrets, I won't stop you or get mad at you," Anna said. "But I will always try and find out what they are. You can't fault me for that."

Elsa smiled.

"No I can't…I never pegged you for the jealous type."

"You're _my_ sister."

Elsa smiled brighter and finally met Anna's eye. They'd be all right, not perfect, not whole, not completely healed, but all right. And it worked for them.


	12. Mistletoe

**Note**: This is a long one but it's a bit of a montage piece. This is a prompt I gave myself (and the next two will also be my own prompts). Christmas gift for all of you who celebrate. You'll recognize a character a few of you have asked me about in this one, he makes his first actual appearance. Look for more of him later.

Anna wanted to help decorate the ballroom for the Julaften Ball but after she knocked over her third ladder, this time stranding Kai to hang perilously from a wreath, she was kindly asked to put her efforts elsewhere. So Anna took to decorating the halls with whatever ornaments she could find in one of the storage rooms. Things went up haphazardly, often not matching and one may have even been an Easter Day decoration, she wasn't sure.

Anna feverishly went it for over an hour. If she was being completely honest with herself it was a form of venting. Not that she was overly concerned with Kai removing her from the ballroom, but there were other things surrounding Christmas that had her up all night and pacing. Eventually Anna ended up exhausted by the second floor parlor.

"Well feistypants that isn't like you," came the familiar voice.

Anna smiled to see Kristoff walking over before dropping down on the floor next to her, leaning against the wall.

"What isn't?"

"You, sitting still," he said, kissing her cheek.

"I've been decorating all day!" She gestured to the hall, covered in her decorations.

"Yes…I see…" he said carefully, eyeing the mismatched and jumbled decorations.

"They kicked me out of the ballroom so I decided to decorate the rest of the castle," Anna said.

"Well good thing we're the only ones who will see it."

She slapped him on the arm, giggling and he pulled her into a tight hug, nuzzling into her neck. They stayed that way, holding each other on the floor outside the parlor, for a while.

"So what's go you flustered feistypants?" Kristoff said.

"I don't know what you mean," Anna said.

"Oh come on. This is about more than just being kicked out of the ballroom for a few hours," he said, "Tell me."

Anna huffed dramatically and stood, suddenly taking to pacing the floor.

"I don't know what to get Elsa for Christmas, and I know, I know it's bad timing considering Christmas is in two days, and—"

"Wait…does this mean you didn't get her anything for her birthday tomorrow either?"

"She said she didn't want anything—which is absurd by the way—and I wasn't planning on listening to her until I had no clue what to get her!" Anna said.

She stopped pacing and her shoulders slumped.

"I don't know her, Kristoff, last time I actually thought a gift to give her she was eight. I don't know what she likes or doesn't like anymore. Maybe she's allergic to something, for all I know," Anna said, more defeated now than frazzled.

"I'm sure she'd love whatever you got her," Kristoff said, standing up.

"I don't want to get her something anyone could get her," Anna said, "This is our first Christmas in thirteen years actually talking to each other. I have to give her something amazing."

"You two being friends again is pretty amazing."

"I can't give her that as a gift."

"You'd be surprised…"

Anna groaned and walked away, farther down the hall to stare out a window at the lightly falling snow. Kristoff was behind her slowly, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his head on her shoulder.

"There are better ways to say 'I love you' you know. You of all people should know that," he mumbled into her shoulder. "And I know you will think of an amazing one."

Anna hummed a response.

"In the meantime though," he pulled back and she turned to face him, "Look up."

Hanging above them from the window frame was the mistletoe Anna had placed there an hour or so ago. She smiled and jumped up into his arms, pinned against him, her legs dangled as she kissed him.

* * *

"You know you and Anna really have a lot more in common than you realize," Kristoff sighed.

"Meaning?"

"You're not the only one with gift giving problems," he said.

Kristoff had knocked on her door around lunch, pulling her from elbow deep proposals and letters. He insisted, most earnestly, that she leave the study for a few hours, and, in fact, not return until after the ball that night.

"Happy birthday, by the way," he added.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

What was Elsa supposed to get Anna for Christmas? The last thing she could remember about Anna was the girl played with dolls nonstop. She was eighteen now, she had a boyfriend, she'd been engaged, she died. Time had certainly done a number on her and how was Elsa meant reconcile the small girl who knocked day and night on her door, wanting nothing more than to build a snowman, with the young woman who now wore her sister's face?

"You know her Kristoff, what does she like?"

"She likes you."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. The two of you are so focused on getting some sort of physical gift, the answer might be just under your noses," he said.

"Maybe I should ask Olaf," she said.

"You know he's going to agree with me," Kristoff crossed his arms and Elsa groaned. "Look, maybe you should let some steam off. Take a nap, read a book, build a snowman or something."

Build a snowman…now that was an interesting idea…

* * *

Though the ball was meant as a Christmas celebration, it very quickly turned into a partial birthday party for the queen, much to Elsa's chagrin.

"Oh cheer up," Anna said, "You haven't had a birthday party since you were eight."

"And I don't miss them."

In truth, they both knew Elsa's problem lied in being the center of attention. She didn't like that. She preferred to be a fly on the wall, not the flower in the middle of the garden.

Anna abandoned her to go rescue Kristoff from some Bavarian duchess and it was all the time needed for a young man, probably Anna's age to swoop in.

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty," he said.

He bowed his head full of curly, black hair. The flop of curls moved into his eyes when he dipped his head. Elsa curtsied.

"Thank you…?"

"Prince Alexey Aleksandrovich," he finished for her. "A lovely birthday celebration for Your Majesty

"It's more of a Christmas Eve celebration, though one toast from my sister and the party guests seem to have forgotten," Elsa said.

"Well, Merry Christmas to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty's kin, and happy birthday to you alone—" he cut off suddenly though when his eyes traveled up.

Elsa followed his gaze to the stomach dropping sight of mistletoe above.

"Oh…" she said.

"Not too worry, Majesty," he said, flashing what she had to admit was a dashing smile, "If I may?"

He held out his hand and bowed a bit. Knowing what came next Elsa, hesitantly obliged, offering him her cool hand into his warm one. He took it to his lips. When he pulled away, and gave a courteous nod before leaving she felt the outline of his lips burning somewhat in her hand.

* * *

"No peeking," Anna said, pulling Elsa by the hand.

"Is the third time I tripped not proof enough for you that I can't see a thing?" Elsa said, her eyes beneath her hand.

"Just," Anna stood on tip toe to make sure Elsa's eyes were concealed, "Don't look."

"Honestly, Anna."

"Honestly, yourself."

Anna pulled Elsa along carefully through the halls, away from the party. Kristoff was busy distracting whatever dignitary demanded the queen's attention in that moment while Anna snuck Elsa off, insisting on giving her gift the second the clock struck midnight Christmas morning.

"Almost there…"

A few more turns (and a few more stumbles) brought them to the door of Elsa's study. Anna released Elsa's hand for a few seconds to open the door. Reattaching herself to Elsa's palm, she pulled her into the room and commanded Elsa to open her eyes.

Elsa's eyes opened on a version of her study completely draped in shades of silver and blue. It was beautiful decorated to the point where it not only shined, but sparkled, much like ice might. It was unmistakably Elsa.

"What did you…?"

"I know you miss the ice palace and even though you try to hide it I know you're more comfortable there than back here in the castle so…," Anna said, "This is your space in the castle so I wanted it to feel like…home."

Anna realized what it was that made Elsa so different now. She couldn't get her sister a book or dress as she may have been able to before. The girl Elsa had been was gone. _This_ is what she needed now.

"Is this why Kristoff practically broke my door down insisting I needed to get lunch with him?" Elsa asked, walking around the room, looking at all the decorations. Anna nodded.

"I figured you could make some actual additions yourself, some ice maybe, but I wanted to give you something you never had," Anna said.

"Which is?"

"The ability to feel safe."

Elsa just looked at her, like she was reading her favorite page of a book. She didn't say a thing. She didn't step forward to hug Anna, and though that did disappoint her, she expected it.

"I have something for you as well," Elsa said, taking Anna by the hand and leading her out of the room and down the hall.

Elsa took her into the library where she pulled a book from the shelf. From inside she produced a piece of paper, folded neatly and even officially sealed with the queen's stamp. Wordlessly, she handed the paper to Anna and waited.

"Uhhh…"

Anna opened it. It was a very official document, signed by Elsa and marked with the Arendelle seal.

"This is…nice…?"

"You need to read it."

"'This document herein constitutes a binding contract between Elsa, Queen of Arendelle and Anna, Princess of Arendelle that hereby states that the former shall henceforth no longer lock any door in which Her Majesty inhabits with exceptions being…' Elsa..is there something I'm missing here?" Anna said.

"It's a promise. I promise to never lock my door again…with some exceptions, and if I ever do and you want to see me, I will owe you one snowman, built the old fashioned way, no magic, you and me," Elsa explained.

Anna looked up and nearly dropped the paper. Her entire life she assumed Elsa was doing it on purpose. Well, Elsa had been doing it on purpose, but she'd assumed it had been for other reasons. Holding the paper now, realizing what Elsa was giving her, she understood now just how badly it must have affected her, to consciously choose to lock her door everyday and ignore the calls of her younger sister. Anna had forgotten, as much as Elsa had been her best friend…Anna had been Elsa's.

"My gift to you," Elsa said, "Is my attention, whenever you want it, whenever you need it. And if I ever break my promise then we build a snowman," Elsa said.

"What if I'm knocking on your door to ask you to build a snowman already?"

"Then we make two."

Anna smiled and threw her arms around Elsa. Everything she wanted for Christmas for thirteen years was now in her hands and wrapped in her arms. And she held tight.

"Keep that safe," Elsa said, "It's a binding document."

"Yes ma'am, Your Majesty."

Anna tucked it safely under her arm when she noticed a familiar green plant hanging above.

"Oh…"

Elsa spotted it as well and raised an eyebrow.

"Any particular reason you hung mistletoe in _here_ of all places?"

"I just thought it would be nice."

"Or a nice excuse to kiss your ice harvester."

Anna turned red as Elsa giggled. Anna moved to smack Elsa's arm, but instead decided to embrace tradition. Laughing she gently grabbed Elsa's temples and stood on her tiptoes, placing a kiss to Elsa's hairline.

"Merry Christmas Elsa."

Elsa smiled and removed Anna's grip. She then placed a hand on Anna's face and kissed her cheek with chilling lips.

"Merry Christmas Anna."

"And Merry Christmas to you ladies."

Suddenly a very large arm was wrapped over Anna's shoulder and she saw Kristoff's blonde head. Elsa was snagged in his other arm. Olaf came prancing in as well giggling.

"I just love this Christmas thing, it's so lovely," he said. "It may just be my favorite thing after summer."

"You do know what you walked into Kristoff?" Elsa said looking up. His head followed her gaze to land right on the mistletoe hanging above them.

Anna made eye contact with Elsa, who nodded. Smiling they simultaneously placed a kiss on either cheek of the man between them.

"Merry Christmas," they said together as Kristoff's face turned bright red.

He laughed and kissed them both back before he insisted the party was desperately missing them and the three of them, with Olaf in tow, headed back to the party. Perhaps Kristoff was right, the best gifts were given only when love was given too.


	13. Kai

Kai

**Note**: Sorry about the long update. This is the first of four prompts I've given myself, this one is based on a headcanon I developed a while ago.

Elsa tried pacing her dungeon but the shackles rooted to the floor made this difficult, granting her only a few feet at best. And the constant yank they gave her arms felt like her shoulders might pop loose if she kept it up. Eventually she sat down on the stone bench in a huff to express her agitation to…no one.

She used her elbows to shove the pillow to the ground and kick it across the room. Shortly following was the blanket as well. She didn't need them, she wasn't cold. She was never cold. And she certainly didn't need Hans' false courtesy either.

The howling wind though, was another problem entirely. It was screaming at her, accusing her, yelling at her, yelling about her. She went to cover her ears only to fail when nothing but metal touched her skin. She tried to sit and calm herself but it was hard to hear her own thoughts over the sound of the wind doing its best to get into the cell.

"Conceal, don't feel."

Wind.

"Conceal, don't feel."

Screaming wind.

"Conceal, don't feel!"

Quite, loud wind.

"CONCEAL, DON'T FEEL!"

An explosion of frost. _Dammit_.

That's when she heard the rattling of keys in the door and the creak of the hinges as it swung open. She expected to see Hans again, perhaps to release her, or perhaps with Anna safe and sound. Or maybe even to kill her. Who knew with that man.

"Greetings, ma'am."

It was Kai.

"I know, not what you were expecting," he laughed, looking at the expression on her face.

He was carrying a tray of tea and assortment of fruits and bread. He walked in and someone shut the door behind him. She watched him perform some sort of balancing act as he held the tray with one hand and placed a mat down on the portion of the bench Elsa was not occupying and then lowered the tray. He began pouring the tea and setting it on a plate as if they were in the library and not a cell of the dungeon.

"Did Hans send you?" she asked.

"He doesn't know I'm here, neither does the duke," Kai said. "I thought you might be hungry, so I took some initiative."

"Well," Elsa said looking out the window, "That makes you the only one left who doesn't think I'd turn them into an ice sculpture." Elsa frowned.

"I don't think that's true," he said, putting some fruit on the plate, "Those guards outside your cell door were instructed not to let anyone see you and yet they let me right in no questions asked."

The queen's men after all were still the queen's men.

"They're just a little scared," Kai said, setting the plate in front of her, "But none of them seem to have forgotten the vow they swore to you when your father died."

Elsa looked down at the plate of tea and food in front of her and sheepishly raised her shackled hands. Kai smiled, laughed a bit, and lifted the teacup to her lips.

"And what about you?" Elsa said liking the wayward tea from her lips, "Surely you must be at least a small bit…concerned about your safety in here…" Elsa said, her eyes trailing up the walls at the frost.

"Elsa," he put the plate down, "I held you only seconds after you were born. Somehow I don't think that small baby who did her best to latch her entire hand onto one of my fingers, giggling all the while, is capable of hurting anyone."

"And besides, all villains were babies once."

"Yes and most of them have no one to love them or care about them, and here you are, your sister periled through the wilderness to bring you home and I'm bringing you tea. Nothing comes from nothing Elsa."

Elsa could not help but let a smile and a small laugh through at that. Kai returned her smile and offered her a few grapes.

"Getting angry at your studies won't help your frustration, Highness," Kai said once to the young princess while she was in the process of tossing the crumbled paper.

Elsa didn't say a thing, she just put the paper back on the table and stared at with strained eyes and a vice grip on her temples. Kai disappeared only to return a few minutes later with a tray of hot cocoa and a cookie or too.

"I know you're not one for sweets but, I thought you might make an exception," Kai said, "Don't tell your parents and especially not Gerda, she'd have my head for letting you eat cookies before dinner tonight."

Elsa smiled and stood, curtseying.

"Thank you, Kai," she said.

He nodded.

And then again when Elsa's parents died, Kai knocked on the door of, what was now, her, study. Upon being granted entrance he brought in a small pile of chocolates and rather beautiful assortment of white and blue flowers.

"A gift of condolence for you, ma'am," Kai said, setting it down on the small table by the door.

"From whom?"

"Just some man in the kingdom."

Kai left. After a few hours Elsa went over to the table and pulled out the card, hidden away on the vase, and read the very short note inside:

_I once saw your father cry when his own father died, I'm sure he'll forgive you this one time as well. A queen who can cry is far better than a queen who feels nothing at all._

_Your steadfast servant_,

_Kai_

_P.S. The cookies are from your sister_

Back in the dungeon the wind continued and Kai calmly sat through all of it.

"This too shall pass, ma'am," Kai said looking at her and then at the blizzard outside. "I once watched your father up all night, trying to avoid a war with Sweden. In the end, all was well."

Kai had no wife or children. He'd worked in the palace since he was a young man, serving three monarchs. But Elsa was the first once he'd watch grow up. He never said it, but it was in every action, every miniscule thing he did for her, the closest thing he could ever have for a daughter was sitting across from him on the bench. And he was completely unafraid of what she was.

Elsa wondered briefly what it may have been like if her father had had Kai's attitude towards what happened. Would she have her childhood back? Would she and Anna have grown up together like they should of? No use in focusing on that now. Elsa was shackled in a dungeon and Anna was nowhere to be found. Things are the way they are.

"Thank you, Kai," Elsa said, "Truly."

"I live to serve the crown," he said, standing. He left some of the food behind and bowed his head before knocking on the door to exit the cell.


	14. AUTHOR'S NOTE (next update)

**FIRST**: I apologize for getting your hopes up with this chapter update. **SECOND**: These updates are getting slow I know but all week I have been up to my eyeballs in stuff for my Disney internship and running around doing stuff with other CPs. I'm halfway done an update for the oneshots series though. They will come I promise. I apologize again.


	15. Jailbreak

**Note**: To those of you who are going to read and review this. You are the most patient humans on the planet and thank you for everything. I lied a bit, this one is not my own original prompt but the next one will be. The word was "jailbreak" about Anna being caught trying to sneak out (I actually did an rp about this a long time ago so I incorporated some of that in here).

Elsa heard someone banging on her door in her sleep. In her dream it was Anna knocking, first to ask why she'd not attended their parents' funeral, then it turned into scorn and anger and then to pure hatred. It was only when the banging got absurdly loud that Elsa finally woke, realizing what was going on.

Her eyes were blurry in the dark, her head groggy. Yes that was definitely someone pounding on her door. She rubbed her face, trying to force her eyes to stay open.

"Ma'am, sorry to wake you," came Kai's voice.

"Storartet," she groaned. It was in fact Kai. Was it a war declaration? A fire? A travesty in town?

She got out of bed, tied her dressing gown, quickly pinned up her hair. She was nervous as she approached her door, afraid to hear the news on the other side. She once knew her father was awoke in the night to deal with the assassination of the Danish ambassador. She felt her heart begin to pound, a month as queen, she hadn't even been coronated yet and she envisioned a war on her doorstep, a plague, a famine, her reign crashing and burning to the ground before it even began.

Her father had her schooled and trained her entire life for this, to be a leader and defender, spiritual guide and military commander…_You're queen now, fear is for others._

On the other side of the door was Kai, his hand tightly gripping the arm of none other than a very grumpy looking Anna. Elsa furrowed her brows and looked between the two. She wasn't expecting _that._

"The princess was found in the courtyard, attempting to climb the wall," Kai said.

That's when Elsa's brows knit together completely and turned her gaze to Anna who shrunk beneath it, her indignant frown replaced by a deep blush and averted eyes.

"The guard on duty who spotted her, brought her to me, and I thought it best to bring her to you," he said.

"Is she hurt?" Elsa said.

"You know I'm right here…" Anna mumbled.

Elsa didn't look at her. Kai shook his head and released his grip on her. Anna pulled her arm away in a huff and then crossed it with her other arm on her chest.

_Why did he bring her here if she's not hurt? What am I supposed to—oh…_Older sister and queen, Elsa was the only person ranked and eligible enough to punish her. How many times, she wondered, had Anna been brought to their parents for this? That was her job too now.

"Um, take her to the parlor. I'll meet her there," Elsa instructed.

Anna frowned and looked ready to say something but Kai gently nudged her down the hall. Elsa took a deep breath and paced a bit in her room. She'd barely said two words to Anna a week, how was she meant to skip over the part where they carried on a conversation and simply start scolding her. Anna would never listen…

Elsa smiled. No, Anna _shouldn't _have to listen to a girl who never showed an interest in her until the moment she was required to doll out a punishment. But still…She could have gotten hurt, or worse. How many times had she tried, or God forbid, succeeded, and Elsa didn't know? No, she had to put a stop to it.

She walked down the hall to the parlor, taking an extra second to compose herself before opening the door and strolling into the room with the most regal air she could muster. She remembered her father, ever the diligent king, and raised her head high. It must have worked because Anna immediately jumped to her feet when Elsa came in. Kai remained at attention, hands behind his back.

"Elsa, let me explain," Anna began but Elsa raised a hand.

"Sit."

Anna obeyed instantly. As much as it hurt to see Anna look at her like this, she could not be her sister tonight. She was her legal guardian and queen. Is this what parenting was like? Changing your face to scare your children into obedience?

"You know you're not allowed in town without a chaperone, and especially not at night," Elsa said.

"Yes I know, but I was just…Elsa I'm so lonely cooped up here. I've been talking to portraits since I was eight. I wasn't planning on doing something awful, I just wanted to be around other people," Anna said.

Ever naïve and ever optimistic. Elsa knew the kind of people she'd meet at night, stumbling from taverns, so drunk they didn't care about the consequences of taking advantage of a member of the royal family. These were men who knew full well what they were doing and doing it anyway.

"Kai, you may go back to bed," Elsa said, "I'd like to talk to the princess alone."

Kai gave her a knowing look and bowed. He exited the room silently and Elsa swore she saw a smile on his face. Well she must be doing something right.

In the next few moments, Elsa was not Anna's older sister, she was not her friend, nor her relative at all. She was a higher-ranking member of the royal family, she was a sovereign queen, and Anna had transgressed her.

"The first and foremost consequence your offense brings is danger Anna," Elsa said, "You could have gotten very seriously hurt, in many ways…or worse." She didn't want to elaborate on all the ways she could have been wounded or violated, even with Anna's innocent look, or perhaps because of it.

"I'm sorry," was all Anna said. She was looking down, not out of shame, but frowning with disappointment.

But that wasn't enough for Elsa, the part she wanted to hear was still missing.

"I need your assurance Anna, that this will not be happening again," she said evenly.

"I won't do it again."

She was lying. Elsa saw it immediately when she tucked her hair behind her ear and refused to look Elsa in the eyes. Well there was a new tactic she could employ. It would destroy all semblance of the relationship they once shared, it would permanently place them on separate planes of existence and it would forever mean scorn from Anna.

"Should you disobey again, it will be treason," Elsa said, shaky voice but face of stone as her heart broke beneath her chest.

Anna did look up at that and it nearly killed Elsa to see the eyes that once belonged to that very young girl who bounced on her bed demanding to make snowmen now looked at her like a stranger. Anna was angry at Elsa like she might be angry at a stranger, she looked annoyed at her like she might be at a stranger. Anna looked scared of her like she might be of a stranger.

_I want you safe_…she tried to say it. But she couldn't break the weight she placed on Anna.

"Okay," Anna said. "I promise."

Elsa wasn't looking to see if this was a lie too. She waved her hand dismissively for Anna to leave but her younger sister did not budge.

"I was wondering if, maybe you wanted to go with me into town sometime? Surely the queen is a qualified chaperone…" Anna said very quietly, fidgeting to Elsa's side.

"Goodnight Anna."

It was done. A door was always between them now, no matter where they were in the world near or far from each other there was a door that Elsa would never unlock and Anna would stop trying to get open. A hole was digging and grinding and burning into Elsa's soul.

As soon as Anna left the room, the temperature dropped drastically as Elsa took her face into her hands and groaned. This was her life now, a queen who was never a friend. Was this to be an education in parenthood? She was Anna's sole protector now, she could not afford to be too kind with a flight risk, rebellious, younger sibling.

Anna _would_ try to get out again. And Elsa prayed bother that she would be caught and that she wouldn't be. She couldn't bear knowing Anna was hurt nor could she bear brining punishment unto her and wedging her farther and farther away from the hope that one day in a perfect future they could be together again like before.

Her father had been wrong, the hardest part of being queen was not the diplomacy or the laws or taxes. It was trying to be a sister at the same time.


End file.
